70 Pleasant St. Cohasset, MA. 02025 ,781 383 0215 * Mail Call : Ben Barrett Ben517@aol.com

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Please let me know if you want to receive Mail Calls or if you have a problem

receiving them. You can always read back Mail Calls by clicking on www.517prct.org/archives

Ben

Website                                www.517prct.org
Mail Call                               Ben517@aol.com
Mail Call Archives                 www.517prct.org/archives
Roster                                  www.517prct.org/roster.pdf

517th Annual Florida Mini-Reunion January 17,18,19, 20, 2009

Banquet on the 20th (Tuesday) and Departing on the 21st (Wednesday)

Hosted by: Leila Webb, Location: Ramada Hotel & Inn Gateway

7470 Highway 192 West

Kissimmee, Florida 34747

Tele: 1(800)327-9170 FAX 1(407)396-4320

web site: WWW.ramadagateway.com

Contact: Leila Webb, Helen Beddow and Lou Darden

4155 Kissimmee Park Road

St. Cloud, Florida 34772

Tele:(407)892-3595

Room Rate - $65.00 Registration Fee - $40.00

National Reunion

Palm Springs, CA Salt Lake City

West Coast Party July 8-13 2009

April 20-24, 2009

Patricia and Roland

Ben,
some pictures taken on 8th of January 2009. We have just called our jeep ADIRONDACKS to pay homage to Nolan Powell and his family.
In 2005, they invited us to visit Adirondacks and we felt in love of this part of USA and of these family.
thanks to them.
See you in 2009 in SLC.

Patricia and Roland Orengo
Sospel, France

Eddy Lamberty

Dear Mr. Barrett,

I sent an e-mail a few weeks ago to let Mr. Pastalenic know that I'll do some researches about the people and the place where was found the dog tags. So, I'm in the process to obtain some information about the people who had the dog tags in their home. They passed away nearly 25 years ago and they lived in Basse-Bodeux where the 517th stayed during the Bulge.

I promise to you that Mr. Pastalenic will receive one of his dog tag. Indeed, I'm working with the father of the young boy who gave me one of Pastalenic's tag. I told him that I would try to locate the soldier and he was so interested to learn more about one of our liberators. So I did after several months. The young boy wanted to keep one of the tag because he found them in a drawer in the home of his grandmother.

His grandmother allow him to have them but he is ready to send back one of the tag but also wanted to keep the other one. He is 12 years old and he is not a WWII stuff collector at all.

I hope that Mr. Pastalenic won't be disappointed with the fact that I'm only able to send one of his dog tag. He will be honored in the museum of the battle of the Salm River and the Battle of the Bulge. Despite he was not in the Ardennes, I think it would be interesting for the visitors to know that story about dog tag of a 517er found at Basse-Bodeux while he was wounded in Southern France in August 1944.

If you or other 517ers troopers wanted to place some pieces in our museum, be sure that the museum will be proud to honor them. In fact, we try to honor every units that fought in the Salm valley. Until now, we do not have a specific piece about the 517th. I'm a member of this museum and you can ask to Mr. Hall Robert and his wife who visited the museum last year;

Well, in the hope that I wont hurt Mr. Pastalenic, he will receive soon the information I've collected. Where? Who? and how they were discovered by this young boy. And I'll send the tag that the kid gave to me.

With my warmest regards to you,

Eddy

Eddy Lamberty
Rue Traverse 4
4980 Trois-Ponts

Patricia and Roland

Ben,
We have received the Thunderbolt. Thanks, many thanks. We will pay our contribution in July. We want to participate to it.
But if you have an IBAN, we could make a bank transfer. Let us know.
Patricia and Roland Orengo
Sospel, France

***********

Your friendship and other 517 friends in France is more than enough contribution. Do not send any funds. - Ben

Entry of Jun 15, 2003 at 02:21 [EST]
Name: Jen Hernandez
Unit:
EMail: battlefrogs@ aol.com
How I found the 517th page: From a search engine
Comments: Was looking for information on my grandpa and now I found it thanks to your web site. But I am lost. I found he was in B Co. 1st BN 517th PRCT. When I look for the patch it goes to 506. His name is Frank Faccinto, maybe I read it wrong. Can you please help me? Thank you and your website is very helpful keep up the good work!

Hello Jen. Your father was in B Co. 517-Ben

Bob Barrett

From Fresno (CA) Bee, September 19, 1944

Bob Barrett

From Paratroopers’ Odyssey recollections:

Jim Mackenzie (Hq. 2) reports the following story: During operations above Col de Braus, Pvt. Bruce Morley of the Mortar Platoon was seriously wounded in both legs. After moving him down below the cliff his wounds were treated with sulfa and bandaged. Bruce asked Jim to keep his wallet until he returned. It was obvious that he would not return due to the severity of the wounds. However, Jim told him that he would comply with the request. Jim put the money into Bruce's pocket and retained the wallet. Shortly thereafter, Bruce was sent to the US. 25 years later and with the assistance of a Utah sheriff, Jim was able to locate Bruce to return the wallet.

From Ogen City UT Standard Examiner, January 19, 1945:

August 31, 1944

Coshocton Tribune – Coshocton, Ohio